Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler charged with stealing and leaking papal correspondence, said he is innocent of charges of aggravated theft, but "I feel guilty for having betrayed the trust the Holy Father placed in me."

The pope's representative in Canada has warned Sept. 24 of threats to Catholic education in Canada and urged Canada's bishops to "remain aware of developments in our society that jeopardize religious freedom."

The potential power, but also the limits, of an ecumenical proclamation of the Gospel and defence of Gospel values is likely to be a key topic during October's world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization.

Figures from the 2011 census showing a continued decline in married couple families and a hefty rise in lone parent and common-law arrangements are "sad and worrisome" and "nothing to celebrate," say pro-family organizations.